Lately, the use of smart cards has become more widespread. Two common implementations have been to use a smart card as a means of payment and to use it for identifying a person (or device). A smart card suitable for payment purposes has commonly been called a chip card or an electronic purse, and a card suitable for electronic identification purposes has been called an identification card.
Smart cards are so-called processor cards (FIG. 1) comprising a microprocessor and a memory. Typically, the microprocessor and memory are implemented by means of an integrated circuit (IC), located inside the smart card 11 below the externally visible connectors 22.
For the smart card to be used, it must be inserted into a smart card reader. In the case of an electronic purse, money can be stored on the card using a smart card reader in an ATM, for example. Payments are made for example by inserting the smart card into a smart card reader at the point of sale; the reader will deduct the payment from the balance stored on the card.
European patent application publication EP 1 041 520 A2 describes an arrangement (FIG. 2) where a smart card reader 10 is integrated in a wallet 9. The arrangement is designed to enable electronic payment of purchases made with a mobile communications terminal 8 utilizing the electronic purse 11. The electronic purse (smart card) 11 is inserted into the smart card reader 10 that is integrated in the wallet 9. There is a connection 13 from the smart card reader 10 to a Bluetooth transceiver 14 located in the wallet 9. The Bluetooth transceiver 14 communicates over a Bluetooth connection with another Bluetooth transceiver 15 located in the mobile communications terminal 8. The mobile communications terminal 8 is connected over the cellular network connection 16 to an Internet server 17 requesting payment. The payment data is sent over the cellular network connection 16 to the mobile communications terminal 8. By means of the Bluetooth transceiver 15, the mobile communications terminal 8 establishes a Bluetooth connection 12 to the Bluetooth transceiver 14 in the wallet 9. The payment data is transmitted via the connection 13 from the Bluetooth transceiver 14 to the smart card reader 10 which will deduct the balance in the electronic purse 11 by the purchase amount.
According to patent application publication EP 1 041 520 A2, the smart card reader 10 comprises a processor and memory. In addition, the smart card reader 10 comprises a serial interface to transmit data in a serial format through connection 13 between the smart card reader 10 and the Bluetooth transceiver 14. The connection 13 between the smart card reader and the Bluetooth transceiver 14 can be implemented by means of a flexible ribbon cable, for example.
The Bluetooth transceiver 14 contains an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) which comprises a processor. In addition, the Bluetooth transceiver 14 comprises a memory and a RF part that transmits and receives data on the 2.4 GHz band.
The smart card reader and Bluetooth transceiver described in patent application publication EP 1 041 520 A2, with the processor and memory, have a relatively high total power consumption. In addition, their space requirement is quite large.